Fastener forming knife assembly



Aug. 22, 1961 J. G. WRIGHT ETAL FASTENER FORMING KNIFE ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 24, 1959 INVENTORS JO/M/ 6'. WR/G'HT 6- J'AMES M. CHAF/N A TTOR/YE rs Aug. 22, 1961 J. G. WRIGHT ET AL FASTENER FORMING KNIFE ASSEMBLY Fil ed Aug. 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS JOHN G. WEIGHT 6 BY TAMES M. CHAF/IY AT ORNEYS 2,99 ,71 FAS'DENERFORMING KNIFE ASSEMBLY.

At an a; a, s.- a corporation of This invention relates. generally tofastener forming. and inserting machines of-the type arranged for forming fasteners from a continuous. length. of wire and, inserting the fasteners formed in work to be secured, and more particularly to an improved form of fastener forming knife assembly for such. machines by which an initial; ad,- justment andsetting' ofthe' knife assembly for proper op eration is not only facilitated advantageously, but by which the adjusted setting of the knife assembly is also maintained effectively during use.

Fastener forming knife assemblies of the type involved here characteristically comprise a stationary blade member and a matched movable blade member having complementary shearing edges adapted to. cut the Wire from which the fastenersare to be formed, and being further shaped to provide a passageway in which the wire may be received and positioned in relation to the blade member shearing edges To form a fastener point, 'such knife assemblies have the blade member'shearing edges arranged to cut the wire diagonally, and. because a. diagonally cut fastener point of-this sort is difficult to drive straight with anyconsistency, the knifeassemblies should be specially arranged 'to modify. the diagonally cut fastenerpoint during the fastener forming operation, and: the wire should be delivered thereto in a special relation, as previously disclosed and explained at length in. US. Patents No; 2,871,479- and No.'2',56 6,10-4.'

Both ofthese prior;- patentsdeal with guide blockarrangements provided fordirecting the wire to the knife assembly so as to'imp'osea lengthwise formingaction thereon in the course of delivery. by which it is possible to remove any residual curvature remaining infthe wire from the coiled arrangement inwhich: it is usually sup.-

United States Patent ass -n9 Patented Aug. 22, 1961 ice integrating the guide block with the knife assembly in a. unique arrangement, that allows the required initial setting to be made readily while at the same time providing for fixing this setting effectively so that the guide block remains properly associated with the knife assembly however often the latter must be removed and replaced during use, all as described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of an operating head for a fastener forming and inserting machine incorporating a knife assembly embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is acorrespoding elevation of the knife assembly alone with both the fastener forming and fastener inserting positions thereof indicated;

FIG. 3 is a right side elevation corresponding generally to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional detail taken substantially at the m t- FIG- 2;

plied, and by which a cast may be additionally imparted to each leading fastener'length portion of thewire' delivered to the knife assembly for furtherconditioning the fasteners formed for straight driving. InU.S; Patent No. 2,871,479, the disclosedlguide block arrangementincorporates an adjustable mounting that provides for; selective shifting of the guide block in relation; to theknife assembly and thereby allows a variety of operatingconditions to be dealt with as they arise; while US. Patent No. 2,556,104 disclosesa stationary guide. block? arrange unent that is initially set in relation to the, knife assembly.

In both instances, however, the guide blocks and knife assemblies of these prior-patents are mounted separately on the operting head ofthe machine'and thelrelation therebetween is-almost certain. tobe lostand requires resetting whenever the knife. assembly} must be' fremoyed from the machine as is more or less frequently necessary or desirable as an incident of normal maintenance attention or for repair or service purposes. When the guide block is adjustably mounted for selective setting whenever desired, the matter of resetting in relation to the knife assembly involves no particular problem, but in the many instances where a stationary guide block is preferable to provide a fixed setting with respect to the knife assembly the separate mountings of the guide block and knife assembly result in very troublesome difficulties in maintaining this fixed setting satisfactorily during extended periods of use. I

The improved fastener forming knife assembly of the present invention eliminates these resetting difiiculties by FIG. 5 is a detailof the wire guide block alone as seen from the left in- FIG. 4;

FIG. 6; is a sectional detail taken substantially at the line; 6-6 in; FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7. is a further sectional detail taken substantially t he e n F G- Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates. the general arrangement of a representative operating hea cl ;10 for a fastener forming and inserting mach ne n hih=a ie swmb s embodying the pr t invention is installed as indicated generally by the reference numeral 12.

i A tubular guide 14: extends. from the top of the operating head 10 to have wire W led therethrough from a reel supply (not, shown) to wire feed blocks '16 and 18, the feedblook 16 being mounted in fixed relation on the opcrating head 10, while feed block 18v is arranged for sliding movement therein, and being suitably actuated during the'operating cycle of the machine to advance the wire W in fastener length portions to the knife assembly 12.

As previously noted, the knife assembly 12 is of the type incorporating a stationary blade member 20 and a matched movable blade member 22, the stationary blade member 2Q being fitted with a pivot pin 24 in relation to which itislocatedfor mounting on the operating head 10, and on which;v the movable blade member 22is secured for relative pivoting between. fastener forming and fastener inserting positions, as disclosed in the above mentioned US. PatentNo. 2,566,104.

The knife assembly 12 is shown in FIG. 1 with the movable blade member 22 pivoted to fastener forming position, whichis determined by a stop pin 26 fixed in the stationary blade member 20, and by the relation of anextending movable blade arm portion 28 to a trip lever 30 and operating cam block 32. The trip lever 30 is pivoted on'the operating head '10 for actuation. from the earn. block 32, to returnthe movable blade member from fastener insertingjto fastener forming position, while allowing pivoting in" the tithe'fdirectiorwhefi the cam block 32 moves downwardly, with an operating plunger 34 on which it is carried, and causes such pivoting through contact with the extending end of the movable blade arm portion 28 to shift the movable blade member 22 to fastener inserting position for receiving a driving tip 36 of the operating plunger 34 for driving a fastener formed in the knife assembly. The blade members 20 and 22 are respectively shaped to form a wire receiving and positioning passageway 38 therein at fastener forming position, the opposing edges of which passageway 38 in the respective blade members forms the fastener forming shearing edges thereof, and the stationary blade mem ber 20 is further shaped at 40 to complete a driving passageway 42 therethrough (compare FIGS. 1 and 2) at fastener inserting position.

FIGS. 2 to 7 illustrate in further detail the manner in which the knife assembly 12 is arranged according to the present invention to have a wire guide block 44 integrated therewith. For thus purpose, the stationary blade member 20 is formed with an upstanding arm portion 46 adjacent the entrance end of knife assembly wire positioning passageway 38 to have the guide block 44 settably fastened thereto for disposing a wire directing passageway 48 therethrough in proper relation to the knife assembly 12 Fastening of the guide black 44 to the stationary blade arm portion 46 is effected by a first fastening screw '50 reaching through a first aperture 52 in the arm portion 46 adjacent the extending end thereof and engaging the guide block 44 thereat, and by second and third fastening screws 54 and 56 reaching through second and third relatively closely spaced apertures 58 and 60 adjacent the base of the arm portion 46 and engaging the guide block 44 thereat, with the first arm portion aperture 52 fitting the first fastening screw 50 closely for locating purposes and the second and third apertures 58 and 60 fitting the second and third fastening screws 54 and 56 loosely to allow setting adjustment thereat of the required axial misalignment and offset relation between the guide block 44 and knife assembly 12 while providing for securely fixing the guide block 44 when set by the relatively closely spaced arrangement of the second and third fastening screws 54 and 56 at the portion of the guide block 44 that is loosely located initially for setting. The amount of setting adjustment needed for the guide block 44 in fastening it on the knife assembly 12 is relatively slight by ordinary standards, for example, if size -32 fastening screws 50, 54 and 56 are used, a first mounting aperture 52 of .191" diameter and second and third mounting apertures 58 and 60 of A sary setting adjustment. It should also be noted that at least one shim 62 is preferably disposed between the adjacent faces of the stationary blade arm portion 46 and wire guide block 44 through which the fastening screws diameter provide adequately for the neces- 52, 58 and 60 extend in order to provide for setting the position of the guide block 44in this direction as well.-

In preparing the fastener forming knife assembly 12 of the present invention for use, the stationary and matched movable blade members 20 and 22 are first fitted with the pivot pin 24 for securing in operating relation, and the guide block 44 is then mounted on the stationary blade arm portion 46 for setting in wire directing relation with respect to the blade members 20 and 22. Setting of the guide block 44 is accomplished by interposing a selected shim 62 while extending the first fastening screw 50 through the closely fitting aperture 52 of blade arm portion 46 and engaging guide block 44 therewith, by similarly extending and engaging the second and third fastening screws 54 and 56 through the loosely fitting apertures 58 and 60 to secure the guide block 44 at-an initially selected position for trial, and by then mounting the knife assembly "12 in the operating head 10 and conducting such trial. If properly straight fastener driving does not result at this initial setting of the guide block 44, the setting is adjusted in the direction that will correct for the observed lack of straight driving, and the knife assembly 12 is thus run-in during initial installation for satisfactory and consistent subsequent use. Once the initial installation is completed properly in this manner the setting of guide block 44 remains integrated in the knife assembly 12 as such, and is readily maintained however much the knife assembly 12 may need to be removed for servicing and reinstalled.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a fastener forming and inserting machine of the type arranged for forming fasteners from a continuous length of wire and incorporating a fastener forming knife assembly comprising a stationary blade member and a matched movable blade member formed with complementary fastener forming shearing edges adapted to cut said wire to form a fastener point, the knife assembly being further formed with a passageway adapting said blade members to receive and position wire in relation to said shearing edges; the improvement according to which said stationary blade member is formed with an integral arm portion adjacent the entrance end of said wire positioning passageway, and a guide block having a wire directing passageway formed therethrough is fastened on said arm portion with said directing passageway misaligned axially with respect to the wire positioning passageway in said knife assembly and with the delivery end of said directing passageway spaced from the entrance end of said positioning passageway and offset in relation thereto for imposing a lengthwise forming action on wire directed through said guide block to said knife assembly, said guide block being settably fastened on said arm portion by a first fastening screw reaching through a first aperture in said arm portion adjacent the extending end thereof and engaging said guide block thereat, and by second and third fastening screws reaching through second and third apertures in said arm portion at relatively closely spaced locations adjacent the base of said arm portion and engaging said guide block thereat, said first arm portion aperture fitting said first fastening screw closely, and said second and third arm portion apertures fitting said second and third fastening screws loosely.

2. In a fastener forming an inserting machine, the structure defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that at least one shim is disposed between the adjacent faces of said arm portion and guide block through which said fastening screws extend.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,475,669 Lawson July 12, 1949 2,520,521 Wright Aug. 29, 1950 2,566,104 Wright Aug. 28, 1951 2,871,479 Wright Feb. 3, 1959 

